Talking Buttons vs. Spirit Box: Which would you rather use?

Did you know they made talking buttons for pets? I had no idea until recently, when a friend, who adopted a new kitten, said, “I’m seriously considering getting talking buttons to teach Dandy to, well…talk.”

Well, technically she didn’t say it. She texted it. Thinking it was a typo I couldn’t decipher, I texted back, “Talking buttons?”

“Yes.”

Then she shared a few Amazon links to the different varieties she was considering. However, she also included something else that I haven’t been able to get out of my mind:

“Maybe Ian will use it too?”

Sadly, her fiancé Ian passed away the year before.

I don’t watch ghost hunting shows anymore, so for all I know, someone put a set of such buttons to the test. I know they’ve used other gadgets, from flashlights to voice recorders and transistor radios, to try and communicate with ghosts in allegedly haunted places. Often, they’ll pick up something that way. Whether it’s actual evidence of ghosts or just a coincidence, who knows?

All I know is that I think if I were a ghost, I’d be drawn to the buttons. What about you?

However, maybe not the ones designed for pets. (Unless I was a ghost dog or cat trying to communicate.) Maybe there’s a reason most ghost hunters prefer spirit boxes? I don’t know. Let’s explore this issue.

Types of Talking Buttons

Amazingly (or maybe I’m the only one amazed by it), there are a variety of talking buttons for pets. Prices span the gamut, depending on the type and quantity of buttons.

FluentPet seems to be the premier brand. They have a few different kits that include buttons and their exclusive “HexTile” button mats. The two most popular are their 12 recordable buttons with six mats for $139.95, and their six recordable buttons with three mats for $74.95.

If you need a minute to process those prices before we proceed, I understand. My eyes popped out of my head when I first saw them, too. (Then I saw green —from envy. What an idea! Wish I’d thought of it!)

You can also order a set of FluentPet buttons and mats separately. For instance, you can buy a set of six buttons for $59.99 and a set of six mats for $54.95. But two buttons can fit on each mat. Which makes the price of the kits more attractive.

As far as buttons with mats go, there are some other less expensive alternatives. There’s a six-piece set from the ESYELEC store for $27.99. Each button allows for up to 30 seconds of recording and you can put pre-printed scene stickers on them. (Most of which are best suited for dogs. I’d like to see the cat that purposely requests a bath.)

The Acools store provides a similar mat and sticker setup with six buttons for $29.99. The Pycoal store offers an eight button option for $36.99. Kul King’s eight-piece recordable buttons come with a square mat decorated with paw prints for $44.99. Sticking with the eight-button options, the DCIAER store offers one too, but with a bone-shaped mat. It costs $34.99.

One of the most highly rated is the MEWOOFUN dog buttons pack, which come in two, three, four, six and nine pack options. Prices range from $17.99 to $49.99. But they also have intermediate, advanced, and professional options with more buttons and different mats. (Their store is fun to browse in general. Lots of great pet beds and cat perches!)

Talking Buttons and Ghost Hunting

There are also several recordable button options that are just buttons. They come in different colors, no pre-printed scene stickers or mats like the four-pack from OFVENS store for $13.99 or the four-pack from clizkytoonow for $16.99. (There are plenty more options in about the same price range. Or you can get packs of more buttons for a bit more.)

Sure. Paranormal investigators could also use the ones designed for pets and accomplish the same purpose. But I think the no fuss, no muss buttons would work just as well (if not better). Not to mention, they’d be less expensive.

However, that said, leave it to TikTok to have a video about talking buttons for pets catching some paranormal activity. I think this ghost wants to go to the park:

@letsgoripley We keep getting people telling us the buttons give them Ghost Hunters vibes…well…don’t want to break it to them but… @fluentpet #dogswhotalk #talkingdog #dogswhotalkback ? Horror, suspense, weirdness, ghost, UFO – Zassh

Talking Buttons vs. Spirit Boxes

I’ve already stated that, if I were a ghost, I’d feel more inclined to use the talking buttons. But as a paranormal investigator?

Anyone who’s ever watched a ghost hunting show has seen the investigators employ gadgets like the P-SB7 or the Spirit Box EVP Research Device. They often pick up something. Whether or not it’s paranormal activity, I don’t know.

Even when I’ve seen an SB7 in action in real life with my very own eyes, I’m dubious of the results. There’s a lot of data floating through our airwaves anymore. How do I know what it’s actually picking up?

And as far as ghosts somehow knowing how to manipulate them and make their voices heard? I don’t know. I’m even more suspicious of that. (But if you can explain why I shouldn’t be, I would love to hear your theories.)

Don’t get me wrong. I think EVPs exist. Or could, at least in theory. I’m more inclined to believe when voice recorders pick them up than ghosts who can manipulate transistor radios, though.

Overall, I’m leery of all electronic gadgets as proof of the paranormal. Whether it’s something somehow triggering a button with a pre-recorded message to “talk,” making a flashlight blink on and off (without physically moving the switch), an EMF detector suddenly lighting up, or any of the other methods commonly used.

However, the other part of me thinks, “Why not? Spirits could be communicating that way.”

If they are, and if I ever become one, I still say I’ll be most likely to play with the buttons. As long as my inner child transfers over to the otherside with me when I die.

Check-In

What gadget do you think you’d be most interested in using if you were a ghost?